Twenty-Two
by emilynoel11
Summary: For twenty-two days he listened to the screams of his people, woke with their blood on his hands and the taste of it in his mouth. Two-shot. Alternate ending.
1. Chapter 1

Twenty-Two

Author's Note:

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

This little idea just popped into my head while playing Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn the other day. It's going to be a two-shot, and the only official pairings are going to be Naesala x Leanne, but feel free to read it and ship them any way you want. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

It was the twenty-second morning.

It had been twenty-two whole days, barely more than three weeks since Naesala had made his decision. Twenty-two days and nights that Naesala had barely slept or eaten. Twenty-two nights where he dreaded the dawn, fearing the news he would receive as day broke. For twenty-two days he listened to the screams of his people, woke with their blood on his hands and the taste of it in his mouth.

It had been seventeen days since people had started to notice.

Nine days since outright panic had broken out.

Five days since the Kilvas diplomats had returned to their homes.

Two days since he had lost all hope, since he had finally given in and sent a messenger to Phoenicis, begging for aid.

Today was the day everything was going to end.

A steward, one of the few who had agreed to stay in the castle, approached him, but Naesala didn't need to look up to know what he was going to say.

_Twenty-two more dead._

He sent the raven away with barely a twitch of his fingers. He couldn't bear to see anyone at the moment, not with the knowledge of what he was about to do. He hadn't taken supper the night before, couldn't stomach even the thought of food. He hadn't retired to his chambers either, instead spending the night perched upon the throne in his main hall. As the moon rose and fell, he stared at the high ceilings, cursing the crown that had been lain upon his head and trying desperately to think of some other way to save his people.

But dawn had finally come, and with it came the blood of his people. He could no longer deny what he had to do.

Rising from the throne, he returned to his chambers to acquire a new set of clothing. Changing quickly, he avoided looking at his arm at all costs. As he was usually a man who prized his vanity, he couldn't help but pause in front of a large mirror that hung on the wall.

The weeks had not been kind to him. He had always been pale, but he usually spent enough time outside that he didn't look quite as much like a ghost. Now, there was no trace of a tan to be found and his skin was as white as milk, a sharp contrast against the dark blue of his hair. The dark bags under his eyes lent him a haunted, unhealthy look, worsened only by the tight stretch of the skin across his face.

He had hardly been able to eat anything the past few weeks, and when he managed to, he often couldn't keep it down. Although he had always been lean, now he looked sickly thin. His high cheekbones jutted out prominently, giving his eyes even more of an unhealthy, sunken look. The bones in his wrists stuck out, the skin stretched painfully across them, and had he wanted to, he could have counted his ribs.

He supposed it didn't matter what he looked like now. Turning away, he walked over to a nearby dresser and hesitantly stared down at a simple, black-handled dagger that lay there. It had sat there for twenty-three days, but he hadn't looked twice at it since he had first put it there.

Until two days ago, when he finally decided what he was going to do with it.

It was a beorc weapon, not his usual choice, but it would do the job. He supposed it was fitting, in a way. There was no honour in what he was about to do. He no longer held any pride at being born a raven. Cursing his blood once more, he quickly grabbed the dagger, not wanting to think any more about it, lest he change his mind.

There was no one left to tell about his departure. He would not have taken any guards, even if there had still been some left in the castle. Most of the ravens that had lived there were gone now - whether to grieve their loved ones or spend their last moments with them, he did not know. Naesala had left instructions for whoever would take his place, in case he did not return. He took one last, long look at the place he had called home for so many years, but now seemed so empty. Then he turned, spread his wings and took off without a backwards glance.

* * *

In only a few hours, Naesala was landing in Phoenicis and walking towards the main hall. With every step, it was as though his legs grew heavier, the air seeming to grow thicker and harder to breathe. He could feel the sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He didn't dare look down to see if his hands were shaking.

Approaching the hall, he was sure he was going to either pass out or throw up, but he knew he could not do either. The huge, ornate doors slowly opened, revealing the hawk king, Tibarn. He wasn't seated on the ceremonial throne, choosing instead to stand on the steps leading up to it. The larger laguz looked as calm as ever, regarding Naesala with cool curiosity as he slowly approached. Reyson was nowhere in sight, but Tibarn's two shadows, the keen-eared Ulki and the all-seeing Janaff stood silently on either side of the hall.

"You look like hell, Naesala." The man said when the raven king was only a few paces away. From that distance, Naesala could clearly see the jagged scar on his cheek, the matching ones on his crossed arms, the spark in the taller man's eyes. It was very clear that Tibarn wasn't exactly pleased to see him.

The Hawk and Raven tribes had always been at odds, barely managing to keep their unsteady peace most of the time. They both had to be politically civil towards each other to maintain relations between their countries, but Naesala knew Tibarn only truly tolerated him because of Reyson and Leanne.

It was at that moment that Naesala was truly sure he was going to die.

"You try getting enough sleep when more of your people die every day. In fact, only a few hours ago I received the report that twenty-two of my people perished last night." Naesala said harshly. He tried to glance around the room discreetly, but his gaze quickly returned to the hawk king's. A bit of the hostility seemed to drain out of Tibarn, his gaze softening ever so slightly. The man may not have been all that fond of Naesala himself, but it gave him no joy to hear the news of innocent laguz dying.

"You're right. I apologize. I don't know what I can do for you, though. Do you have any idea what could be causing such a plague?" Tibarn asked.

It was at that moment that the hall doors opened once again. Turning, Naesala caught a glimpse of pure, snow-white wings just as Tibarn announced, "Ah, Reyson, you're here. Naesala's just arrived."

Reyson was as thin and delicate as always. The herons were now a rarity among the laguz, but they had always been prized for their perfect white wings and golden hair, and the prince was no exception. He had known the other man for nearly all of his life, and despite the many, many differences between them and the many times he had to deceive the heron, he had always considered Reyson one of his most precious friends.

Somehow, Reyson had found it in his heart to forgive Naesala after the escapade with Duke Tanas, much to his relief, and they had managed to repair their friendship a little in the many months since the end of the Mad King's War.

And now Naesala was here to destroy it once again.

Reyson was saying something as he approached, greeting him perhaps, but he could barely hear it past the blood that had began rushing in his ears. If he somehow managed to reply, he didn't know. His heart had jumped into his throat. Turning his back on Tibarn, he took a few steps towards his friend before he stopped, frozen in place, his feet feeling heavier than lead. Thankfully, Reyson didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, continuing to approach, and now he was nearly close enough to...

He knew what he had to do.

The dagger, hidden up his sleeve, slipped gently into his hand.

He had to move quickly; he couldn't afford to waste time. In a few seconds Tibarn would realize what was happening and then he would lose his chance. But his chest felt so tight that he could barely breathe, his body felt heavy and stiff.

Somehow, he managed to make himself move. The motions were forced and mechanical, and he could only watch as his arm came up and towards the heron. It was as if he was watching from afar as everything happened in slow motion.

_No, I don't want to do this. No, stop! _

But he couldn't make himself stop. He couldn't afford to stop. The blood of his people was already on his hands. What was one more life?

Reyson's smile was still on his face even as Naesala saw the shocked realization come into his eyes, but by then it was already too late for him to move away or avoid the attack. Naesala wished he could close his eyes, but he couldn't look away.

_Reyson, forgive me..._

The dagger was nearly at his throat now.

He hesitated for only a second, wanting to pull back, but he couldn't, so much blood was already on his hands and he had to do this. His arm continued with the force of his momentum and _he didn't want this, oh goddess he didn't want to do this, but he couldn't _stop.

His vision went white.

And then fire exploded in his hand.

What came next happened almost too quickly for Naesala's sharp eyes to follow. All he knew was that his wrist was _burning_ and someone was yelling but he couldn't see anything past the blur of white and brown and suddenly he was being pressed _hard_ into the stone wall of the hall, his ebony wings pinned behind him, and there was something so heavy on his chest that he could barely breathe.

The only thing his mind registered at that moment was that he was staring into the golden eyes of the Hawk King of Phoenicis.

He closed his eyes.

_I'm going to die._

Surprisingly, the thought didn't bother him at all.

The blow didn't come.

As his head slowly stopped ringing, he began to take stock of his body. The weight on his chest was actually Tibarn's hand, pressing him against the wall. He realized that his wrist wasn't on fire, it was merely being crushed by hawk king's larger and much stronger hand, pinning it to the wall as well. He was certain that Tibarn had broken it, but he wasn't sure why he was still alive. Judging by the fierce anger burning in those golden eyes, Tibarn wasn't far from tearing him limb from limb. He had been certain that the hawk king was going to murder him as soon as he attacked Reyson. What was stopping him? He wasn't going to fight back. Death would be a welcome reprieve from the pain in his chest.

He hesitantly opened his eyes, wishing that the hawk would just get it over already.

"Tibarn, Tibarn stop." Called a voice from behind the larger man, but Naesala couldn't see who it was. It took a long moment for his mind to register that he knew that voice.

_Reyson._

He was alive.

The thought made him so relieved that his knees nearly gave out. It was as if a weight was from his chest. He hadn't hurt him.

_He failed._

The shock made him freeze. It was as though he had been hit with a bucket of ice and for a moment, he was sure he was going to be violently ill.

He failed, and now his only chance was gone.

Now nothing could save his people.

"Tibarn, I'm alright. Let him go." Reyson's voice came again.

"No!" Naesala shrieked, a fierce desperation gripping him. He began to struggle in Tibarn's grasp, trying to break free.

_I can't watch any more of my people die._

"Are you trying to make me kill you, _crow?_" Tibarn's grip was unrelenting, but he couldn't give up now. He had been so close.

"No! Let me go! I have to do this! Let go of me, Tibarn!" He fought back with a ferocity he never knew he had, and this time it was the hawk king struggling to keep his grip. He couldn't transform, not while Tibarn was so close and his wings were pinned painfully behind him, but the dagger was still in his hand, even if he could barely feel his fingers past the pain in his wrist.

He could still finish the mission. He could still save his country.

Tibarn's physical skill and power was far greater than his own, but anger and desperation fuelled him. He brought his free arm up, digging his nails, like talons, into Tibarn's shoulder and pushing, trying to put space between them.

"Get off of me!" He roared, finding the strength to push back and, miraculously, he somehow forced Tibarn back a step. It just far enough for him to get his wings free, and they flared out behind him, black as night and beating angrily.

Struggling to wriggle completely out of the man's grip, he was almost free when the pain from his wrist increased tenfold. A pained shriek wrenched itself out of his throat - Tibarn had taken his broken wrist and _squeezed_ so hard that he could feel the bones grinding against one another. The agony of the assault brought the raven king to his knees, allowing Tibarn the chance to wrap his other hand forcefully around his neck.

It was completely silent in the hall for many long moments. It seemed that even Reyson was shocked into silence. The only sound that could be heard was Naesala's wheezing as he gasped for breath, dizzy with pain. All of the strength had left him, and his body sagged, Tibarn's grip the only thing holding him upright. Unable to hold it with numb fingers, the dagger clattered loudly to the ground.

Seemingly defeated and no longer armed, Tibarn's grip on him loosened just enough that he could get proper air into his lungs again. The world tilted precariously again as Tibarn jerked his chin up, forcing him to look him in the eye. He could see Reyson behind him now, completely unhurt but closely surrounded by the stony-faced Janaff and Ulki. The hawk king quickly drew back his attention.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't rip your heart out right now," Tibarn hissed, his golden eyes filled with fire.

Naesala stared up at the man, but there was nothing he could think to say. "I don't have one." He admitted.

Another shocked silence fell over the hall. Even Tibarn appeared taken aback. Naesala knew that they had all expected him to beg or give some false reason to spare his life like a crow usually would, but he didn't have the energy. He couldn't lie, not anymore.

"Naesala... why?" Reyson's trembling voice came from behind Tibarn again, but he couldn't bear to look the Prince in the eye. This apparently made the hawk king find his voice again.

"Naesala, I've never liked you, but I trusted you, at least when it came to our common goal of protecting Reyson and Leanne. I can see I was wrong. But why?" He said, and Naesala met his gaze defiantly.

"It was necessary. I can't say why."

"You'll say, even if I have to force it out of you." Tibarn's grip tightened on his throat.

Naesala sighed. He supposed it didn't matter now, not when the curse had already been invoked and so many of his people lay dead. Turning his head back, he jerked his chin towards where the hawk still gripped his wrist. "Get your hands off me, and I'll tell you."

Tibarn stared hard at him for a moment, probably debating whether it was safe to comply or not, but he apparently decided that a single crow, broken and beaten on the floor of his hall, was no threat to three strong hawks. He kicked the dagger that had still been lying on the floor beside him and it skidded, end over end, all the way to the other end of the hall. Then, slowly, he released Naesala and took a single step back, careful to stay between the raven king and the heron prince.

"Talk."

Naesala nodded, leaning back on his legs and curling in on himself. Then, slowly, he began to roll the dark sleeve of his jacket back. It was difficult and he hissed in agony, but no one moved to help him. It took a few tense minutes, but he managed to pull the sleeve up far enough to show them.

The sight of the bones of his wrist jutting out grotesquely under his skin nearly made him sick, but on top of that, the dark brand was clear to see, black lines twisting and curling around his thin wrist.

"It's called a Blood Pact," He explained quickly, before anyone could ask.

"A blood pact?" Reyson questioned quietly, making him flinch.

"Yes. It appears after you've signed a Blood Contract. Once signed, the creator of the contract can ask the person who signed it to do anything, and they have to do it. If they don't..." He tried to go on, but the words turned to ashes in his mouth.

"And if they don't?" Tibarn asked harshly.

"If they don't, then the holder of the contract can invoke a curse. The next day, one person from the country of the contracted will die. The day after that, two will die. On the third day, three will die. And it will continue like that until the holder of the contract decides to end it," He stopped. Silence reigned again.

"Then, the plague on your people...?" Reyson asked tentatively.

Naesala could only nod in despair, his fists clenching despite the pain.

"How could you have been so stupid as to sign something like that? I thought you cared more about Kilvas than that." Tibarn accused.

The words cut like a knife, but they made an unexpected anger bubbled up inside him.

"I do! I never signed the bloody contract!" He cried, taking Tibarn aback. "The previous king of Kilvas signed it, and it was passed on to me."

"It passes on?"

"Yes," He said. "The previous king signed this contract with Begnion, and they must have asked him to do something. I never found out exactly what they asked, but he refused them, and they invoked the curse. For a hundred days, the people of Kilvas suffered. By the time Begnion ended the curse, half our nation had been wiped out, and I was next in line to the throne. On the day I was coronated, this bloody mark appeared on my arm, and all the king had left me was a letter explaining what it was. I've tried looking for a way to destroy it, but I haven't been able to find anything." He explained bitterly.

"So that's how you managed to become king, even though you were so far down the line. I always wondered." Tibarn commented.

"Yes."

"So what does this have to do with Reyson?" Tibarn questioned forcefully.

For a long moment, he couldn't say anything.

"Twenty-three days ago, Duke Lekain, the holder of the contract, came to me with a request. It wasn't entirely unusual. He had asked me to do things before, but none of the tasks had done much harm, so I did them, and Kilvas was left in peace. But this time..." Swallowing hard, he continued. "This time he asked me to kill Reyson." He heard their gasp, but couldn't raise his head, didn't want to see the looks on their faces, didn't want to see the horror - or, worse, pity.

"Me? Why?" Reyson asked.

"Hell if I know. The herons aren't like some of the other laguz tribes. Like with Kilvas, you have a line of succession, and you're next in line to the throne when Lorazieh passes. Lekain knows Lorazieh is too old and ill to do anything, but you could continue the line. I don't know why this is such a threat to him, but that's what he asked of me. Who knows? He knows we know each other. Maybe he wanted me to refuse so that he could wipe out Kilvas once and for all, it would be just his style." Naesala explained angrily.

"Damn those beorc..." Reyson murmured angrily, but Tibarn ignored the comment.

"And did you refuse?" He asked.

"Damn it, Tibarn, of course I did!" He cried, the anger sizzling back up into him. "You're crazy if you really think it would be that easy for me to agree to murder Reyson. Of course I said no. Even when he threatened to wipe out Kilvas, I told him where he could shove it. For the last twenty-two days, I've refused. But I can't do it any more. I would have gone on refusing, except..." He felt tears burn the back of his eyes, but he was too proud to let them fall.

He forced himself to continue. "For twenty-two days I bore it, until two days ago. The morning I sent you the messenger, I woke to silence. Most of the people in the castle had already left, and only a few remained. But that morning...I found Nealuchi. He had died in the night." He said bitterly, the sorrow coursing freshly through him.

"Oh, Naesala..." Reyson murmured sadly. Nealuchi had been a friend of the heron prince as well, not nearly as close as Naesala, but the news would surely grieve him none-the-less. The raven king merely he shook his head, trying to dispel the memories of empty eyes and icy skin.

"You hawks act all high and mighty, but you have no idea what it's like. You never knew if that night was going to be your last. I lost my entire family in the first plague - everyone except Nealuchi, who had been a close family friend. But the first time was different. I didn't know what was happening. This time, knowing that it was my fault... that the blood of my people was entirely on my hands..." It didn't matter what he admitted now. He no longer cared what they thought of him.

"I can't watch my people die anymore. I can't kill you, Reyson, but I can't have their blood on my hands either. I can't do it." He wasn't even sure what he was asking. All he knew was that the sting in his wrist was nothing compared to the ache in his chest.

"I can fix that."

His head had bowed, exhaustion blurring his vision, and he missed the movement. All he knew in that next second was a terrible, blinding agony erupting in his chest, just below his ribs.

His chin fell against his chest, wide eyes suddenly clear, his vision now filled with red rain, and the taste of copper on his tongue. Pressing his uninjured hand against the source of his torment, he watched as thick, crimson blood oozed out between his fingertips.

He couldn't hear Reyson crying out - the blood was rushing too loudly in his ears. His body, which had been so cold before, now felt filled with fire. He wanted to cry out, but his breath was caught in his throat and he was choking, drowning in ashes and agony.

He didn't feel his back hit the ground, and he didn't try to rise, merely letting the strength drain slowly out of his body as the blood slowly pooled around him.

The last thing he saw was a pair of golden eyes as he fell into the cold, peaceful darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

My most sincere apologies to everyone for how long it took to update. I've had this written for months now, just never got around to editing and posting it. Many thanks to those of you who reviewed! Hopefully I managed to keep Naesala in character. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the second and last part of the story!

* * *

Chapter 2

Standing by the window, a groan from across the room drew Reyson's attention. Turning back, he returned to the chair by Naesala's bed, where he had spent most of his time the past few days, watching over the raven. Tibarn had managed to avoid all the major organs when he stabbed him with the curved knife he always kept on his belt, but the recovery process would still be an unpleasant one.

Naesala had been unconscious for most of the last two days. He would wake only for short periods of time, and he was never lucid. The raven had quickly contracted a fever, which made Reyson worry about an infection, but his condition hadn't worsened. The wound was still ugly, but Naesala's laguz blood was helping it to heal at a much faster rate, and it had improved quite a bit since it had been inflicted.

Thinking back on it made him shudder. At first he hadn't realized what Tibarn was doing; he had thought the hawk really meant to kill Naesala. There had been so much blood, more than he had ever seen before, and he had nearly passed out at the sight of his old friend lying so still on the floor. Naesala's dark clothes had hidden most of the blood around his abdomen, but it quickly pooled out around him, and the sight of it against the raven's deathly pale skin and wide, glassy eyes was almost too much for him to bear. Thankfully, Janaff and Ulki immediately knew what to do and took action, one of them trying to stem the bleeding and the other running to fetch a healer.

Tibarn, seemingly unconcerned, had turned to him. By this time, a bit of the shock had worn off and anger had been its replacement. Had Reyson been of a more confrontative nature, he surely would have attacked Tibarn himself. But instead, the hawk king had merely grabbed his arm and dragged his reluctant body out of the main hall.

After a few minutes of struggling, he accepted that he wasn't strong enough to break the man's grip and stopped trying. If Naesala had barely been able to do it, then he surely wouldn't be able to. "What on earth are you doing? Where are you taking me?" He had demanded.

Tibarn hadn't bothered to look at him, or answer his question, instead dragging him deeper into the castle. Anger seized him, making Reyson plant his feet in defiance. "How could you do that to Naesala? He was unarmed, and no threat to you. How could you?" He had hissed, but shrunk back when Tibarn swung around to face him.

"_He would have killed you_." The man thundered. At Reyson's startled face, though, he seemed to rethink his words and sighed, his face losing its hostility. "Don't worry. A wound like that won't kill the blasted crow. I made sure not to hit anything important, but we need a lot of blood if we're going to successfully fake your death."

"What?"

"I may not care for Naesala, but even if I killed the bloody crow, that Blood Pact, or whatever it is, would just pass on to the next, and more inexperienced, raven. Not only that, but if Duke Lekain wants you dead, he's certainly going to try again. We need time to figure out how to destroy Lekain and this Blood Pact, but time is something we don't have, not while more ravens of Kilvas die every day." He explained quickly. "Now, come on. This will never work if people see you out and about. For now, we'll have to hide you if we want people to really believe that you're dead."

With that, he had been dragged, albeit much more willingly, to a large, musty room in an old, unused part of the castle, and that was where he had stayed ever since. Tibarn had left him there, returning not long after with the unconscious Naesala, Janaff, Ulki, and a healer in tow.

Besides Leanne, no one else had been allowed to know of their plot. Reyson wondered if his father had been told, but he doubted it. Lorazieh was barely lucid these days, and they probably would not have wanted news of this kind to put too much of a strain on him.

The healer had done what he could. Afterwards, he had carefully shown Reyson what to do in order to take care of the injured man. He still checked on them once a day, but most of his care had been left to Reyson. They couldn't risk too many visitors as people would become suspicious.

The only other people who came by were Janaff and Ulki. They took turns guarding the room, and would usually pop in to say hello whenever they switched shifts. Even though there was no way Naesala could hurt him in his state, Tibarn was not taking any chances.

However, after leaving Naesala in his care, Tibarn hadn't come back. Not once. He had tried asking Janaff and Ulki about him, but they had merely shook their heads, telling him that the King was extremely busy dealing with the political fallout of their little scheme. Reyson didn't doubt that the man had his hands full, but he also suspected that wasn't the only reason Tibarn stayed away.

Leanne had come once, the day it happened, to check on him and fret over Naesala's sleeping form, but she hadn't returned. Reyson was sure that the news of Nealuchi's death would have hit her hard, as she had been quite fond of the elderly raven, and Reyson could tell that the sight of Naesala, looking so pale and weak, frightened her. He didn't blame her for staying away. When he asked after her, though, Janaff told him that she was playing the role of the grieving sister quite well. That made him feel a little bit of pride; he always knew his sister was a talented actress. Although, considering her grief over Nealuchi's death, he wondered how much of it was an act.

The loss of Nealuchi was no easy one for him to bear either. He hadn't been extremely close with the older raven, but everywhere Naesala went, Nealuchi followed. He had always been there. Reyson couldn't think of a time when he didn't know the old raven, and the thought of him dying had never even occurred to him. To hear such a thing had been quite a shock, and it pained him, but he worried more over Naesala.

The entire debacle two days ago had rattled him to his core. It had been a while since he had seen the King of Kilvas, and though he hadn't been happy to hear about the difficulties his country was facing, he had been looking forward to seeing his old friend again. He had never even considered the thought that Naesala had been coming to... to _kill_ him.

He hadn't even really realized what was going on until after Tibarn had diverted the assault. One minute he had been happily greeting his old friend, and the next, there was a silver dagger almost at his throat, with Naesala's hand on the other end. His eyes had met Naesala's, and he had truly thought he was going to go through with it. But then the man had hesitated. It was only for a second, but it was long enough to allow Tibarn a chance to stop the attack. It was still a close call. If there hadn't been that split second of hesitation, Reyson wasn't sure he would have lived.

The shock of it had hurt almost as much as the physical blow would have.

But after the initial shock and anger had worn off, he realized that he wasn't angry at the raven. Hearing Naesala's story had pained him in a different way. He couldn't blame him for doing what he did. Had he been in Naesala's position, he didn't know if he could have held out as long. He shuddered to think of it - twenty two days. Stuck in that little room with nothing else to do, he had counted 253 deaths. He didn't even want to imagine the hell Naesala must have went through on Reyson's behalf, watching 253 of his brothers perish, knowing that he could stop it...

He shook his head. If he dwelt on it, the guilt would swallow him. He knew there was nothing he could have done, but the guilt at being the reason Naesala had to watch so many of his ravens die still ate away at him. He had mentioned as much to Ulki, but the hawk had merely whacked him lightly upside the head, telling him that it wasn't his fault, that there was no way he could have known. He knew that, too, but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty.

Instead, he tried to channel his guilt into hatred. Hatred for that blasted Duke Lekain of Begnion, whoever he was. It wasn't hard for him to find that revulsion again; he had wallowed in it for a long time after the Serenes Massacre.

But hatred just wasn't in his nature as a heron, he had managed to overcome the emotion since meeting Ike, and after two days alone in the room, his mind drifted. His concern for Naesala was always there, but there was pity, too, and sorrow. Nealuchi had been the man's closest companion, as much of a father figure he had ever known Naesala to have. The King of Kilvas may have shrugged him off often, and scoffed at his nickname, "nestling", but Reyson knew he had cared for that old bird more than anyone else.

Naeluchi had practically raised the man, and he had obviously taken his death hard. After that, with the raven struck so by grief, it surprised Reyson even less that Naesala's will had finally broken.

He had never really considered how truly alone Naesala was until now.

The 'plague' that had halved the Kilvan population had occurred when Reyson was barely old enough to remember it, but Naesala was quite a few years older than him, so he didn't doubt that the raven could remember it all quite clearly. He had never known the man's parents. Reyson hadn't really even known him before he became King, and Nealuchi had always been the one who brought him to Serenes when he did visit. After the decimation of Kilvas and Naesala's coronation, Naesala didn't visit for a long, long time, but once he started coming again, Nealuchi was still always at his side. Reyson guessed it had just never occurred to him to wonder what had happened to the man's parents, and Naesala had never spoken of them. He had always been so aloof, avoiding personal questions, always pretending he was fine and distracting everyone with trickery and sly diversions.

And after the Serenes Massacre, Reyson hadn't been in the proper frame of mind to wonder about his friend. Aside from Tibarn, Naesala had been there for him the most in the wake of that tragedy, and even if the raven had deceived him a few times throughout his life, which he was now coming to understand why he had, he still owed him more than he could ever repay. Even in all his anger and sorrow, after all the times he said cruel things and pushed his friend away after the Massacre, Naesala had never gotten angry or left his side. And through all of it, he never spoke a single word of the horrors of Kilvas' plague, merely comforted Reyson in his grief.

Thinking back on it, he felt incredibly stupid for never asking about his friend's past, never considering that the raven had experienced the same horrors by witnessing the decimation of his own people, nor wondering if he felt the same way. Since Nealuchi had always been there, he guessed he had just always assumed that Naesala wasn't alone, and with his attitude, he had always acted like he didn't need anyone.

Now, Reyson saw it differently. Naesala had lost his entire family, and half of his country's population, so very similar to what he had experienced at the Serenes Massacre. But at least Reyson had still had his father, Leanne, Tibarn, Naesala, and the hawk tribe that welcomed him with open arms. After the Massacre, he had been allowed to take as much time as he needed to deal with his grief. Naesala, on the other hand, had a crown forced upon him before his time, before he could even properly grieve his family and his country. With it came the worry of the Blood Pact, and he had had only Nealuchi for comfort. As far as he knew, there was no one else the raven trusted besides Reyson himself, and Leanne of course, but he knew he would have never burdened either of them with his troubles.

He only hoped Naesala would allow him to make it up to him.

Another murmur quickly brought him out of his reverie, bringing his attention back to the battered raven on the bed. He wondered if the man would finally wake up this time. For the past two days, he had switched continuously between periods of deep, healing sleep, and periods of fitful delirium, tossing and turning and calling out while Reyson could only stand idly by. Sometimes he would call out names or phrases, in both the Ancient Language and the Common Tongue, but most of it wouldn't make any sense. When he did wake, he was delirious and couldn't understand where he was or what had happened, quickly falling back into his fevered dreams.

But he had been sleeping peacefully for quite some time now, and his fever had been a little cooler when Reyson had checked his temperature that morning, so he was hopeful that Naesala would soon wake.

He saw his fingers twitch and the dark, ebony wings shift a bit on the bed, and then slowly, his eyes opened. He blinked, looking around in confusion until his gaze settled on Reyson.

"...Reyson?"

He watched the horror spill into the raven's expression for only a split second until it was clamped back down, his face becoming unreadable once again. It worried him, but Reyson was also pleased that he had recognized him. Naesala's eyes left him again, almost as if he was avoiding looking at the heron, instead glancing nervously around the room.

"Where am I?" He tried to sit up, but quickly winced and abandoned the notion. Startled, Reyson tried to get him to lean back, but the raven shrunk away from his touch.

"Don't try to get up yet, you're still injured. You're in Phoenicis. This is just some old room that no one uses anymore." The news seemed to make Naesala tense even more, but he reluctantly leaned back, carefully avoiding touching Reyson, which didn't go unnoticed by the heron.

"What happened? What day is it?"

"You tried to kill me." Reyson stated blandly, but quickly continued when Naesala immediately dropped his gaze again. "Tibarn stabbed you. You've been unconscious for two days."

That made Naesala's head snap up, his eyes wide with panic. Reyson jumped when he jolted upright, hissing in pain, but the raven ignored his encouragement to lie back down. "My people! How are they? How many more have died?" Naesala demanded, breathing quickly, the panic in his eyes clear to see.

"Naesala, calm down! They're fine. Kilvas is fine!" But the man just stared at him, his dark eyes wide and disbelieving. "Trust me, there hasn't been any deaths in two days."

He continued to stare, uncomprehending. "But... how?"

"They faked my death. Tibarn said he stabbed you in order to get enough blood to do it successfully, and they took a few of my feathers to make it a bit more believable. I don't know much about the details. I've stuck in here with you for two days, pretending to be dead. The story is that you killed me and now Tibarn is holding you here as prisoner. Your ravens were all in an uproar, but while we hold you captive, they can't really do anything. In the mean time, the hawks have taken control of Kilvas. Either way, Lekain must have believed you really did it, because the deaths have stopped. No more of your brothers have died, I swear it."

Naesala held his gaze for a long moment, but he nodded, the panic draining out of him as he seemed to accept the story. The pain must have caught up with him though, because the next moment, he was slumping back, breathing heavily.

"Now," Reyson scolded, "If you try to get up again, I'll tie you to the bed. You're on complete bed rest, at least until the healer says otherwise. You might heal fast, but another move like that and you'll be bleeding again."

A sarcastic roll of the eyes accompanied his "Yes, mother."

"Oh, and you can't transform until we take that splint off." Gesturing towards the injured wrist, Naesala glanced down at it as if he was noticing it for the first time. The black, twisting marks of the Blood Pact stood out starkly against his white skin.

"Where's that blasted hawk? I can't believe he's leaving me alone with you right now." Naesala's tone was light, but Reyson could sense his unease.

"Tibarn's busy dealing with all the political stuff. Janaff and Ulki visit, though. They stand guard outside, make sure no one comes in." Reyson explained. He didn't say it, but they both heard the silent '_and they're here to protect me from you if they need to'_.

Naesala nodded acceptingly. For some reason, this seemed to put him a bit more at ease.

"You know I don't blame you, right?" Reyson said quietly, making Naesala throw him an unreadable look.

"You should."

"I don't. There was nothing else you could have done."

There was no reply.

"Listen to me." Reyson leaned forward angrily, making the raven lean back in kind, staring at him warily. "_You had no other choice_. If I had been in your place, I don't know that I wouldn't have done the same thing." But Naesala just shook his head.

"Besides, you didn't go through with it. _You hesitated_. You would have stayed your hand."

"No, Reyson, I wouldn't have."

Silence fell across them, and Reyson didn't bother breaking it this time. It was plain to see that Naesala wasn't going to listen to what he had to say, and the heron could tell that the conversation had exhausted him.

"Get some sleep." He sighed, returning to the window. He felt the raven's eyes linger on him, but he didn't turn back, and after a while he heard the breathing even out.

* * *

Leanne reappeared as soon as she heard Naesala had truly woken up. The King of Kilvas had hardly been awake five minutes the next morning by the time she pounced on him, twittering madly in the Ancient Language.

Reyson watched for a moment, amused, as the raven was crushed in his sister's grip of death, but quickly moved to seperate the two when he began to grow worried that she might aggravate his injuries. He gently pried her off of him, and she sat down eagerly in the chair next to the bed.

"Alright, alright, Leanne, slow down." Naesala said, a touch of annoyance in his voice, but Reyson could tell he was truly happy to see her.

"_I'm sorry, I'm just so glad you're alright._" She replied.

"I can tell." She only smiled.

"_Are you feeling better?_"

"Yes, now that you're here." Reyson glanced over at the raven royal. He had always suspected that Leanne and Naesala's feelings for each other were... more intense than simply friendship, even if neither of them had ever acted on them. Naesala always acted normal around her, and neither had mentioned anything to him, but he wasn't blind. "The Healer says I'll be up in no time."

But that didn't mean he was going to let Naesala do anything to his precious sister.

"_I'm glad."_

There was a moment of silence. Leanne glanced nervously down at her hands, looking suddenly unsure.

"What is it, Leanne?" Naesala asked in the voice he saved only for her, sensing her discomfort.

"_I just... Is it true, what they told me? About Nealuchi?_" The question didn't seem to surprise him. A pained look crossed his face for a split second before it disappeared. Reyson had only noticed it because he had been watching for it, so he doubted Leanne had seen it.

"Yes, it's true." Leanne nodded, her eyes filling with tears. "Come on now, don't cry." He gently took her hand. Reyson pretended not to see it.

_" I'm sorry. I just wish you and Reyson didn't have to stay stuck in this old room. It's so lonely in the castle._"

"I know. Have you heard when that blasted hawk is going to let us out of here?"

"_No. Tibarn's been busy lately, flying here and there and talking to the many guests that have been coming to the castle lately. I haven't had the chance to talk with him._"

"You know I'd always make time for you, Leanne." Came a voice from the doorway behind them. Naesala looked up, his face suddenly blank, while Leanne was pleased to see Tibarn.

"_Tibarn!_"

"Things are still crazy out there, but hopefully everything will settle down soon." The hawk king said, replying to the earlier question. Reyson wondered how long he had been standing there.

"_I'm so happy to hear that. Pretending to be sad all the time is no fun, and Father has been asking for you, Reyson._"

"Tell him I'll come see him as soon as I can."

"_I will. I'm going to see him now. I'll come visit you again soon, Naesala!_"

"I look forward to it. Give the old man my greetings, too." Leanne agreed happily. Jumping up, she leaned forward and quickly gave Naesala a kiss on the cheek before moving daintily out of the room. Reyson bristled silently while Naesala merely had a bewildered look on his face.

A tense silence fell over the three of them once Leanne disappeared, making Reyson wish he could have followed her. The King of Kilvas and the King of Phoenicis stared each other down from either side of the room, but it was Naesala who broke the glaring match. "Don't just stand there and look pretty. Say what you have to say."

"Give me a moment. I'm still trying to decide if I should have ripped out your innards after all, crow."

"Damn it, Tibarn. What do you want me to say? I'm not going to give you an apology, so you can go on waiting for one."

"I spared your pathetic life. Don't make me regret it."

"Really? Last I checked, there's a hole in my stomach missing thanks to you."

"Be glad I didn't take more."

"Tibarn, please," Reyson interjected, "He never hurt me."

"He _would have _if_ I _hadn't been there. Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

"What do you _want_, Tibarn?"

"I want you to realize what a bloody fool you were!"

"What else was I supposed to do? Watch the rest of Kilvas die? We don't have the numbers Phoenicis does, Tibarn. The last plague more than halved our population, and we still haven't recovered. Another hundred day plague would have wiped us off the map. Is that what you want? There were no other options."

"_You could have asked for aid_!" Naesala looked like he had been physically struck, but quickly recovered, his eyes flashing with anger.

"From who? You? When was the last time any hawk looked on a raven without disgust in their eyes? Kilvas has always been looked down on as the weaker race, you can't deny it. You may think yourself above it, but your people aren't." This rendered Tibarn silent. Shaking his head, the raven continued, "Besides, if I had told anyone about the Pact, Lekain would have activated the curse anyway."

"Alright, stop it!" Reyson's shout managed to get their attention. "All this fighting is getting us nowhere. Both of you, stop being so stubborn! Naesala, Tibarn would have given you aid, even if I had to make him do it. Kilvas is _not_ alone. And Tibarn, I know you're angry, but you have to let this go. I've forgiven him. I'm the one Lekain wanted dead, so I get the final say. You'll just have to deal with that. Now both of you are going to stop fighting so we can figure out a solution to this problem!"

They looked disdainfully at each other. Tibarn sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose the way he always did when he was getting a headache.

"Reyson may have a point, but I still don't trust you. Until we find a way to get rid of Lekain and that Blood Pact, you and Reyson are stuck in here. But there will always be a guard posted on this door, and if you try anything, I may just kill you after all."

Naesala nodded in agreement. "I take it you have a plan for Lekain, then?"

"I have ideas, and I have my spies in Begnion. I've sent word to them to find out everything they can on the Duke and this mysterious Blood Pact. As soon as I know anything about how to destroy it, you'll know."

"Fine by me. Now tell me what's going on with my people."

"Reyson has surely told you by now that the deaths have stopped. Lekain seems to believe that you killed Reyson, and he knows better than to try to find you to ask something else of you while you're here, so Kilvas is safe for now. From the reports I've heard, your officials have returned to the capital. They're successfully keeping order and trying to recover from the tragedies. As long as we keep you as our prisoner, though, they answer to me."

"Good. You don't have to worry, all the Kilvas officials are fools. They won't give you trouble."

"Glad to hear it. Now I'm going to go check up on things. Remember what I said." With that, Tibarn was gone.

"Well, he was as pleasant as ever."

"Be quiet and rest, Naesala. It's a miracle you haven't reopened your wound with the way you go about. Don't push it."

* * *

The next few weeks went by surprisingly quickly.

With his powerful laguz blood, Naesala was declared completely healthy merely nine days after the incident. The wound left an ugly, jagged scar, but they had managed to keep it from getting infected and it healed without much trouble. The healer had been worried that his wrist hadn't set properly and they would have to re-break it, but thankfully it was an unnecessary worry, and the splint was gone in only a few days.

Now that he could get up, the raven would often steal Reyson's place and perch himself on the sill of the single, huge window in the room. He could sit there for hours in silence, not moving a muscle. At times he would go so still that he could have been mistaken for a statue if he hadn't known better. Reyson wondered what he thought about.

But Naesala's health also brought with it an extreme restlessness. Reyson was used to living in the castle now, but Naesala had never spent too much time inside, preferring to be outside as most members of the bird tribes tended to. He would often get up and walk around the room. Often times, he would start talking and then he wouldn't stop, always finding new things to say to annoy Reyson. Then Reyson would snap at him and he would go and perch on that window sill again while Reyson felt guilty for saying such things.

After a few weeks confined in a room with each other, Reyson and Naesala had reached some kind of an agreement. Naesala had agreed to try to feel a little less guilty about trying to kill Reyson, and in return Reyson avoided talking about the incident at all costs. It wasn't the best solution, but he knew it was all he was going to get out of the raven. It didn't escape his attention that Naesala avoided touching him at all costs. Whenever they got too close, the raven would quickly back away, as if he didn't trust himself to be near him.

Reyson also noticed that Naesala avoided even looking at his arms at all costs, covering them up as soon as they had taken the splint off his wrist. They still hadn't talked about Nealuchi, but that was one topic Reyson truly didn't know how to bring up. He supposed that Naesala was going to have to come to terms with that on his own time.

The nights were the worst. Naesala kept the strangest sleeping habits of anyone he had ever seen. Not only that, but it was obvious that he didn't sleep well when he did. Reyson was an extremely light sleeper himself, so he could always tell when Naesala couldn't sleep or had a nightmare. He didn't toss and turn much, and he wasn't loud, but he would always wake up with a slight shudder and a very sharp intake of breath. Then he would glance over and Reyson would have to pretend he was still asleep. Reyson could sense that the raven would lie awake long after he had fallen asleep, and the next morning he would find him perched on the window sill once again. He didn't know if he should bring it up or not. He had his suspicions, but he wasn't quite sure he wanted to know what the King of Kilvas had nightmares about.

Leanne visited when she could, which helped ease the boredom some what. Now, watching them together, it was easy to see how much the two cared for each other, and Reyson wondered how he had missed it all those years. Leanne would come in, bubbly as ever, and Naesala's face would light up, just a little, and when he talked to her, he wasn't quite as sarcastic as he was with everyone else. As for Leanne, whenever Naesala was in the room, she always wanted to be near him, and unlike with her brother, Naesala allowed her to be in close proximity. Reyson and his sister had always been close, even more so after he found her alive after the Massacre, but when she visited, it was often to Naesala that she directed the conversation.

It annoyed Reyson to no end, but he couldn't exactly tell them to stop, because they weren't exactly doing anything wrong. They weren't doing anything out of the ordinary. He just wished Naesala would stop looking at his little sister like that.

Other than Leanne, Janaff and Ulki visited the most. They didn't come in for long, but they said hello every time they switched their shifts, and they were their main source of information from around the castle. Tibarn was as busy as ever, only managing to visit a handful of times. Reyson wondered if he really was that busy, or if he just avoided the room because of Naesala. Whenever he was there, it seemed they held a silent agreement to avoid talking to each other at all costs unless Tibarn had some new information on Lekain, but it just seemed to make things more awkward.

It was a difficult arrangement, but they made it work.

In only a few more days, it would have been a whole month that Reyson had been trapped in that room with the King of Kilvas. He was beginning to wonder if they would ever be allowed out, when everything changed.

It was late, and Naesala was sitting on the bed, slouching back against the wall, one leg propped up in front of him, staring up at the ceiling in thought. Reyson was lying on the opposite bed, trying to sleep, when all of a sudden, Naesala jolted forward with a hiss of pain.

"What is it?" Giving up all pretense of sleep, Reyson sat up as well, gazing at him curiously. But the raven didn't reply. He had begun frantically pulling up the sleeve of his dark shirt, wings fluttering in agitation behind him.

"Naesala, what's going on?" Still he received no reply, but now he could see what was happening. The other man was gripping his bare arm tightly, just underneath the brand, staring down at it as if he was in pain.

But it seemed that, before their very eyes, the black, twisting lines that made up the brand were slowly disappearing. They seemed to shimmer, rippling like water, before steaming slightly, steadily sinking, disappearing into Naesala's arm and leaving only the pure, pale white skin behind.

After a few minutes of watching in shocked silence, it had vanished completely. There was no trace of the black ink that had been there only moments before. It was almost as if it had never been there in the first place.

Naesala was still gripping his arm so hard that his knuckles turned even whiter, an unreadable expression on his face. Reyson was hesitant to break the silence, but as he opened his mouth to do so, Naesala finally moved. Hoping he would say something, Reyson watched him eagerly as he rose from the bed, but he didn't look his way.

"Naesala?" Walking to the window, the raven ignored him, taking his usual place on the window sill. He propped his elbow up on a bent knee, dropping his head into his cupped hand, and stared off into the distance. Reyson watched silently as he turned to stone.

Realizing that he wouldn't be getting anything out of his friend anytime soon, he scrambled out of bed and flung open the door. Naesala didn't move from his perch, but Janaff, who was on guard duty at the time, turned to him in bewilderment.

"Reyson, what -"

"Janaff, get Tibarn. _Now_. The brand of the Blood Pact - it's gone." Without waiting for further explanation, the hawk instructed him to stay inside the room, and in a second, he was racing off.

Closing the door, Reyson settled back onto his bed, wondering what it all could mean.

Tibarn appeared hours later, when the sun was high in the sky. Naesala still hadn't moved an inch from where he sat. Reyson, on the other hand, jumped up as soon as the door opened.

"Tibarn! What took you so long? I was almost ready to go look for you myself." Reyson cried.

"Sorry about that." Reyson huffed, but no further explanation was given. "What's this Janaff's been telling me - that the Blood Pact mark is gone?"

"Yes, it disappeared last night. It just... sank into his skin and disappeared. It's like it was never there in the first place." Reyson gestured towards where Naesala was still sitting. Tibarn was silent for a moment, watching him with a puzzled look.

"Has he been like that the whole time?"

"Yes. After the marks disappeared, he just sat there and hasn't moved or said a word since." Reyson shrugged. Tibarn, however, decided to approach him.

"Naesala?"

The word seemed to break whatever trance the raven had been in. His chin turned sharply towards them, his dark eyes staring up at Tibarn in hostility. "_What the hell did you do?_"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play games with me, Tibarn. The Blood Pact is gone. What did you do?"

"Oh, that. I just received word from Begnion. That's what took me so long. You won't have to worry about the Blood Pact any more, we managed to destroy it."

"_How?_" Naesala hissed.

"I received a report from one of my spies a few days ago, saying that they had found a way to break it. Apparently, the Pact is broken if the Contract is destroyed and one of the people who signed it dies."

"Then... Lekain?" Reyson asked before Naesala could.

"Dead."

For some reason, this was the wrong thing to say.

So quick that Reyson almost missed it, Naesala had moved, getting up and pouncing on Tibarn.

There was a whirlwind of motion that, to Reyson's eyes, was merely a blur of skin and feathered wings before Naesala had Tibarn pinned against the bare wall, arm pressed tightly against his throat.

Reyson watched in shock at the turn of events. After a moment, though, he noticed that Tibarn had managed to draw his dagger and was holding it against Naesala's throat in turn. He recognized it as the curved dagger he always kept on his belt, the same one he had used against the King of Kilvas barely a month ago. It had been cleaned since then, the blade gleaming brightly, but Reyson still shuddered at the sight of it.

Naesala, however, barely seemed to even notice it. His eyes, blazing with anger, were locked on Tibarn.

"I thought you'd be happy to hear that." Tibarn protested.

"_He was mine to kill_."

Tibarn opened his mouth to speak, but Naesala cut him off.

"You lock me up in this blasted room, keep me from my people when they need me most, and then you steal my vengeance? _How dare you_. I should kill you right where you stand."

"Try it, crow, and I'll rip your wings off."

"Stop it, you two!" Reyson interjected, but neither moved. After a tense minute, Tibarn sighed.

"Listen, Naesala, I know you wanted your revenge, and I swear, I would have given it to you if I could have, but it just wasn't possible."

"Strange. I don't feel inclined to believe you."

"Believe what you will, but it's the truth. Just trying to get you out of Phoenicis would have been impossible. All of my hawks out there would rip your head off in a second if they saw you, because of what they think you did to Reyson. And let's say you did manage to get out of Phoenicis without getting seen, and through all of Begnion's security, don't you think Lekain would have been expecting you to retaliate in some way? I'm sure he would have some sort of contingency plan in place." Slowly, the truth of Tibarn's words seemed to dawn on the raven king, the hostility visibly draining out of him.

"How did you do it, then?"

"Get your bloody arm off of me before I rip it off, and I'll tell you."

After a long, tense minute, Naesala complied, stepping back a pace but never letting down his guard. They stared intensely at each other for a few moments longer before Tibarn looked away to sheath his dagger and continue his explanation.

"Like I said, my spies in Begnion found out that to break the Pact, you needed to destroy the Contract and kill one of the people who signed it. Reyson would murder me if I had killed you, so instead I contacted the Apostle. She's young, but she's not stupid. I explained things, and after bringing to light some of Lekain's more... shady dealings, together we managed to find enough proof to warrant his execution. You'd be surprised how much stuff that man had hidden. Anyways, his execution was yesterday morning, but my accomplices weren't able to get a hold of the Contract and destroy it until last night, which is most likely the same time that the brand disappeared."

There was a long moment of silence after his explanation, and Reyson could almost _feel_ the tension leaving the room. If he felt that much relief at the Pact being destroyed, he could only imagine how Naesala was feeling at that moment. But he was curious about what would happen next, and said as much.

"Obviously, we'll have to tell everyone that you're not really dead, Reyson. That's not the difficult part. I don't know how much you're going to tell Kilvas about the Blood Pact, Naesala, but we'll have to think up something to tell them. Things are going to be hard for a while, no matter what. Even though you didn't really do anything, my hawks have never cared for you and thinking you killed Reyson this past month hasn't helped that fact. No fighting has broken out between the tribes, but things haven't been pleasant. I'm sure Kilvas will be glad to have you back, though."

"I'm not returning as King."

"_What_?!" Reyson and Tibarn cried simultaneously.

"I said I'm not going to return as King. I never wanted to be King. The only reason I didn't abdicate was because after the first curse, Kilvas was falling apart. It needed a strong leader, and, even though I had been quite far down the succession line, I had some experience. My parents often brought me to court with them to learn. I knew Reyson and the rest of the heron royal family, and you as well Tibarn, by extension, which helped keep relations between the tribes peaceful and stable. The next raven in line was much younger and much more inexperienced, and I couldn't leave Kilvas in his hands. But I wasn't planning on staying as King forever. I wasn't even planning on staying as long as I did, but I didn't want my fool of a successor doing something to make Lekain bring the curse down on Kilvas again. Seems terribly ironic now, though."

Bewildered, Reyson couldn't help but ask, "So what's going to happen to Kilvas now?"

"Well, I suppose that's up to Tibarn."

"What?"

"You've managed to keep Kilvas and Phoenicis at peace the past month without my help. Why not continue?"

Tibarn looked as shocked as Reyson felt. "Are you suggesting that we form an alliance? Like how things used to be?"

"Well, The United Bird Tribes has a nice ring to it."

"You're crazy."

"So I've been told."

"But why me?"

"Tibarn, I may hate your guts, but like I said, this past month you've proven you can handle it. Besides, I hate the worm that's called my successor even more than you. He's an inexperienced fool, and so are my officials. Besides myself, Nealuchi was the only one in the castle with any brains."

"Alright. If we do it, will the herons be joining as well, Reyson?"

"Of course, Tibarn." There was no hesitation.

"Are you sure? This will mean that your family's status will end, Reyson. You won't be heir to the throne of Serenes anymore. We'll have to get your father and sister to agree."

"I'm sure. There's nothing there for us at Serenes anymore. I'm sure they won't have a problem with it as long as it's you ruling, Tibarn." Reyson said truthfully, making Tibarn smile at him.

"Alright. I guess I can't refuse, then. But what are you going to, Naesala?"

"Well, first, I'll return to Kilvas. I want to see how well my people are recovering with my own eyes, and there are quite a few things to sort out before I can just hand the country over to you, Tibarn. After that, I'm not sure what I'm going to do."

"Would you consider becoming my ambassador?"

Naesala looked at him strangely.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not. Trying to merge our countries isn't going to be easy. I'll need some one to speak with the ravens on my behalf and keep relations peaceful, and who better than you? You know your people better than I do, and if your officials are all as incompetent as you say, then finding a qualified raven to do it is going to be difficult."

When Naesala didn't appear to be swayed, Tibarn continued. "Once all this happens, I won't be able to leave for extended periods of time as often as I have been, so I'll need some one to send as an envoy to other countries. You already know a lot of the other countries' officials from the war, so you'd know what to expect and you'll be able to keep things running smoothly, as long as you control your tongue. It also keeps you away from me for extended periods of time. But when you aren't travelling, you'd be here a lot of the time, so you can spend more time with Leanne and Reyson. Or you can keep living in Kilvas, if you really wanted to."

Naesala sighed in defeat. "I'll think about it."

"Alright. For now, let's just get you two out of this room. It's time for Reyson to return from the dead."

With that, Reyson and Naesala left the room to breathe clean, fresh air for the first time in a long time.

It takes a few months, but eventually Naesala's vision comes to fruition.

Tibarn and Naesala agree to tell the bird tribes most of the truth. Tibarn speaks to the hawks of Phoenicis, and Reyson is welcomed back with open arms. They are less friendly towards Naesala, but neither are they openly hostile once they know the truth, and are actually quite sympathetic towards their raven brethren. Reyson learns that the party afterwards lasted three days, but he leaves with Naesala for Kilvas the morning after the announcement, and he can't say he was all that sad to have missed the festivities.

He is there to witness Naesala's speech to the people of Kilvas, and he is quite impressed. It's a good speech, one of the best he's ever seen, in fact. He had never really noticed before, but now it's easy for him to see Naesala's passion and concern for his people. He tells them how the previous King signed the Blood Pact, and explains what it means, although he had agreed with Tibarn that it was better that they left out Begnion's involvement for the sake of peace between the countries. At Reyson's insistence, they also agree not to mention Naesala's failed attempt to kill him. They tell them that they broke the Pact a month ago, but that by doing so, they had put his and Naesala's lives in extreme danger. They say that they had made up the story in order to protect themselves until they were sure it was safe to return.

The next day the raven disappears into Nealuchi's old chambers, bars the door and doesn't allow anyone inside. Reyson is worried, but he is patient and doesn't begrudge the man his time alone to properly grieve. Instead he spends the day exploring the castle, finding rooms he's never been inside before, humming his galdrars quietly to himself along the way and greeting the people he recognizes from his previous visits. When, late into the night, Naesala finally emerges from the room, he looks physically and emotionally exhausted but also somehow lighter. Reyson knows that for the month they spent together, the man hadn't let himself grieve, so he hopes that finally Naesala has found some peace.

It is never mentioned again. All the death ceremonies took place a month before, including Nealuchi's, and most of the families are beginning to move on. Life in Kilvas has begun to return to normal, although the fear can still be seen in their eyes despite the reassurance that the Blood Pact has been destroyed. However, even that slowly fades, the people reassured by the presence of their King.

Reyson eventually returns to Phoenicis when it becomes obvious he is not needed. Naesala still has many things to do in preparation for the merging of Kilvas and Phoenicis. Thankfully, all of the Kilvas officials seem to see the wisdom in this unification and agree to it without much trouble. Convincing the rest of the country takes longer, but they manage it.

When Reyson leaves, Naesala tells him that he will soon follow, and he keeps his word. A little under a year after they destroyed the Blood Pact, Naesala returns to Phoenicis, and Tibarn is coronated as the King of the United Bird Tribes. Naesala doesn't stay for long after that, as it is obvious that he is uncomfortable there. Needed elsewhere anyway, he spends the next few years travelling from place to place as an emissary, forging new alliances and strengthening older ones on Tibarn's behalf. He stops in at the castle every once in a while with updates, sending regular reports back to Tibarn, but his letters to Reyson and Leanne come few and far between.

Eventually, things settle down, and Naesala comes to live in the castle at Phoenicis. He is given rooms not too far from Reyson and Leanne's, ones with large windows, although he doesn't spend much time in them. He spends most of his time outside, in the gardens, visiting the nearby towns, or simply exploring the country. Slowly, the raven is able to look Reyson in the eye again, and be near him without flinching. A few Kilvan diplomats come to live in Phoenicis as well, and he spends quite a bit of time with them. Although the conflicts between their tribes have diminished, he is still more comfortable with his ravens than the hawks.

When Naesala's not doing all of these things or visiting another country, he is attending court. He ends up getting kicked out quite a few times for his cheek, but Reyson knows it is nothing too serious. To everyone's surprise, Tibarn and Naesala create a comfortable working relationship between themselves. It is not friendship. If they see each other in the halls, they will not greet each other unless it is for some important reason. They still bicker constantly, and more than once their arguments lead to physical altercations. However, most of the time they are civil to one another, and manage to work together to solve problems in the kingdom. Tibarn knows his people, but Reyson knows he is glad that Naesala is there to speak for the ravens.

Before Reyson realizes it, many more years have gone by. His father eventually passes away, and it is not too long after it that Naesala and Leanne reveal their relationship. At first, Reyson is not happy. He is reluctant to entrust his sister's happiness and safety to anyone besides himself, but eventually he comes to realize how truly happy they make each other.

After five years and many, many death threats, from both Reyson and Tibarn, the two eventually marry and move into their own home, just outside the castle. It isn't too long afterwards that Leanne reveals she is pregnant and both Reyson and Naesala cry when they are presented with a beautiful heron girl and a raven boy.

They grow quickly, while Phoenicis and Kilvas continue to thrive under Tibarn's rule.

Tellius is at peace.


End file.
